Stack the Concrete Form Material Blocks Without Mortar & Set Rebar

The concrete form material wall forms are simply stacked on top of each other without mortar. These are held in place by the interlocking tongue-and-groove end design, and walls can be built in any dimension/shape imaginable.

Next, set rebar both horizontally and vertically within the stacked forms prior to filling the cores with concrete. This “post and beam” grid effect makes the concrete form material wall exceptionally strong.

Fills the Concrete Form Material Blocks with Concrete

The concrete form material blocks are cast from a mixture of K-X Aggregate (mineralized wood chips) and Portland cement. The wall forms are designed as stay-in-place units, which become part of a load-bearing wall only after being filled with reinforced concrete.

Plumbing & Electrical is a Cinch to Integrate

You can nail and screw directly into Faswall® concrete form material. You can also easily cut Faswall® blocks with carpenter’s tools.

Electrical wiring can be cut into the walls, or plumbing and electrical can be installed prior to pouring concrete.

Faswall® Block Structure

The wall forms are supplied in three main types for building your entire project: a Standard Wall Form, a Corner Wall Form and an AP Wall Form.

The AP Wall Form can be easily split to form (2) Half blocks (one with male end and one with female end). A Male End block and Female End block are also available for building openings.

The quantity of each wall form shipped is unique to the design of the project and determined in consultation with the owner, contractor, or designer.

Standard Wall Form

(cuts in half to form 1/2 size block)

Corner Wall Form (outside or inside notched as needed)

End Block Wall Form

The beam notches in each wall form, which allow for the formation of a horizontal beam of concrete, must be continuous in the whole wall system. All Faswall® wall forms come notched to form these horizontal beams, except the AP blocks that form ½ blocks. These must be field notched.

A helpful feature of the Faswall® concrete form material system is that all wall forms are interchangeable dimensionally. This gives the installer options if he lacks a particular type of wall form for a given part of the build. For example, the AP unit can be used as a standard wall form, or a corner wall form if necessary.

The concrete form material blocks are shipped on 48”x36” or 48”x48” pallets, each pallet containing entirely one type of wall form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. “My builder is not familiar with Faswall® and wants to build a stick-framed home for me.” Our staff will work with your builder and designer to provide labor estimates. We'll also minimize design complications, which can escalate the cost of building with Faswall® concrete form material. ShelterWorks staff members frequently arrange for site visits to other Faswall® building projects to help builders and designers gain worthwhile exposure to the building process. There are also occasional workshops at project sites for homeowners, builders, and design professionals. In addition, ShelterWorks has a group of installers/builders willing to travel to sites to provide one to three days of training to crews for a reasonable fee. Most builders are open to building with Faswall® ICF’s once they understand they are building a better quality home or commercial building, and can gain confidence in the installation process. Stick framing will always be an option for homeowners but cannot capture the advantages of the thermal mass.

Q. “I cannot find a designer who knows your product.” We can link you to many professional designers who know and have found it very rewarding to be a part of a design/build team using Faswall® concrete form material. Or, if you have a designer or architect who is interested in learning more about Faswall® ICF’s, our staff is dedicated to providing a complete set of resources and the personal time to understand the scope of the project to better serve your design/build team.

Q. “Has Faswall® been approved by my local building department?” Faswall® meets or exceeds building and energy codes in all states. If your local building department is not familiar with Faswall® ICF’s 25-year history in North America, we can provide the necessary professional listings and testing data to assist in gaining required approvals. Our staff has many years of experience in providing guidance and direction regarding engineering and structural solutions.

Q. “Why should I go with Faswall® block as opposed to a foam ICF product that is less costly?" With the need for far less bracing during installation and less concrete infill than most of the foam ICF’s, Faswall’s installed cost is competitive with most foam ICF’s on the market.
Furthermore, Faswall offers superior performance in two key areas:

Better performance of the thermal mass, since the insulation is on the outside of the concrete rather than encasing the thermal mass between sheets of insulation. This leads to lower utility costs.